


Three Across

by NachoDiablo



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bucky & Peggy centric, Bucky Didn't Fall From The Train, Bucky and Steve went down in the Valkyrie, Crossword Puzzles, Domestic Fluff, F/M, M/M, Multi, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Post-Captain America: The First Avenger, Valkyrie was found early
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-28
Updated: 2019-06-28
Packaged: 2020-05-28 15:22:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19396894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NachoDiablo/pseuds/NachoDiablo
Summary: Bucky had been ready to die.He hadn’twantedto die, of course, but he’d made peace with it, the way one does while hurtling to an icy doom to save part of the world. Sure, he’d only had six minutes or so to get used to the idea, but he’d done his best.So he was a bit put out to wake up in a hospital bed with scratchy sheets, alive and seemingly unharmed. Nor was he particularly enthused to see Peggy Carter sitting by his bedside doing a crossword.Especially after what had happened on the Valkyrie.





	Three Across

**Author's Note:**

  * For [havisham](https://archiveofourown.org/users/havisham/gifts).



> Thank you to the [MCU Exchange](https://mcu-exchange.dreamwidth.org/) mods for organizing! This isn't one of my usual pairings, and it was fun to branch out.
> 
> Lots of <3 to [Lucifuge5](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucifuge5) for the beta help and cheering!

Bucky had been ready to die.

He hadn’t  _ wanted _ to die, of course, but he’d made peace with it, the way one does while hurtling to an icy doom to save part of the world. Sure, he’d only had six minutes or so to get used to the idea, but he’d done his best.

So he was a bit put out to wake up in a hospital bed with scratchy sheets, alive and seemingly unharmed. Nor was he particularly enthused to see Peggy Carter sitting by his bedside doing a crossword. 

Especially after what had happened on the Valkyrie.

She smiled at him as he struggled to sit up in his bed. “Good morning,” she said, as though they’d just happened to meet by his bedside for coffee.

Bucky blinked, then looked quickly down at his lap. He closed his eyes for a minute as he took a few deep breaths, then peered at her curiously, unsure of what to say.

Peggy set her paper and pencil down on the bedside table. “I’m sorry Steve isn’t here,” she said gently. “He would be, but he does have to sleep on occasion. So for now, you’ve got me.”

At the sound of Steve’s name, Bucky blushed and looked back down at his lap once more. It wasn’t that he minded Peggy at all. He liked her very much, in fact. She was smart and didn’t take anyone’s shit.

But a lot had happened in that six minutes on the Valkyrie. With Steve.

Bucky inhaled sharply as his he processed Peggy’s words. “Steve,” he whispered. “He’s alright?”

“He is,” Peggy nodded. She pressed her lips together for a moment before continuing. “I don’t want to shock you, but I suspect we’ve only got a few minutes until Howard barges in and shocks you anyway.” One hand reached out to rest lightly on the bed.

“When we found the Valkyrie, you and Steve were both frozen, but alive. That was two days ago. Steve came to fairly quickly. You took a bit more time.” Peggy paused and cleared her throat before she continued. “It’s March now, James. Nineteen-forty-six. The war’s been over for six months. We won, and we’re in New York now.”

Bucky nodded in a daze. He didn’t bother to ask  _ how _ he’d survived in the ice for so long. Hydra had poked and prodded him for weeks. He had no doubt that Stark would yap his ear off about the details later at some point.

“And Steve… where is he?”

Peggy tilted her head towards the wall behind her. “He’s napping in the other room, though I have no doubt he’ll be up soon. He’s hardly left your side since he woke up.” She looked pleased about that. 

Shame curled in Bucky’s stomach as he wondered what she’d say if she knew the details of those six minutes.

**~**

_ “Steve? Steve! Ste--” _

_ Peggy’s voice crackled, then died over the radio. Steve’s face was grim and determined as he turned to Bucky with a sigh. _

_ “Guess this is it,” he said lightly. _

_ Bucky nodded. “I guess so.” He shivered and moved closer to Steve, though he wasn’t actually cold. “Wish we were crashing into a desert island or something. Beach seems like a nicer way to go.” _

_ The corners of Steve’s eyes crinkled as he laughed. “Yeah. That’d be nice.” He slipped one hand off the controls and let it rest on Bucky’s lap. “Listen, Buck. Since we’re about to die and all…” _

_ Bucky raised one eyebrow. He tried not to focus on the warm weight of Steve’s palm as he waited for Steve to finish his thought. _

_ Instead, Steve swooped in and pressed their lips together in a firm kiss. Bucky pushed aside his shock as he leaned in eagerly to return the kiss. This was something he’d wanted for years now; if all he had left was six minutes to enjoy it, then he was damn well going to take advantage. _

**~**

Bucky might have survived popsicle life for six months, but Steve Rogers’ hugs were testing his survival skills. He struggled to breathe as Steve wrapped his arms around him and held him close to his chest.

“We made it, Buck,” Steve mumbled against his neck. “We both made it home.”

Bucky closed his eyes and hugged Steve tighter. Eventually, he pulled away, embarrassed as he remembered that Peggy was sitting close by. Bucky tensed up at the realization, but Steve didn’t seem fazed.

“Look at this,” Steve said, beaming brightly. “My best girl and my best guy, together.”

Bucky’s jaw dropped, but Peggy seemed amused as she tapped her fingers against the bedside table. “I’ll have you know we worked out the whole crossword together in less than half an hour. And it was a Sunday one, not some Tuesday rubbish.”

Bucky couldn’t help but return Peggy’s conspiratorial grin. They’d worked well together as they took turns reading the clues aloud and sussing out potential answers while they’d waited for Steve to wake up.

He had been surprised at how much more at ease Peggy acted when it was just the two of them, compared to the meticulously controlled woman he’d known during the war. It had allowed him to relax in return, to show a part of his real self, without the hollow bravado of their first meeting or the sullen silence that followed.

“I’ve got to help Howard out on some sort of project,” Steve said with a roll of his eyes. “I’ll be gone a week. In the meantime, you two can move into one of the Stark properties. Got us a couple of apartments right next to each other.”

Bucky’s brow knitted together in confusion, but Peggy nodded as though she had expected this development. “That sounds lovely. James and I can get to know each other better while you’re gone.”

The hesitant smile she shared with Bucky seemed like a question rather than an expression. Bucky glanced between Peggy and Steve, then nodded. “Yeah, it, uh… It sounds lovely. Sure.”

**~**

“I need your help,” Peggy said over the rim of her coffee mug.

Bucky put his own mug down on the kitchen table. They were in the breakfast nook of Bucky’s apartment with a plate of rugelach between them as they passed the crossword back and forth across the table. 

They’d spent the last three mornings the same way. Peggy would stop by around eight with a pastry box and the paper in hand. Bucky would make sure the coffee was ready and waiting in the French press that he’d found in the fully stocked kitchen. They’d have their breakfast and chat idly as they did the crossword together.

Bucky enjoyed Peggy’s company. She was sharp, with a dry sense of humor, but she wasn’t one to babble aimlessly, either. They often lapsed into a comfortable silence as they refilled their cups and raced for the last rugelach.

He still felt a pang of guilt every so often when he remembered the Valkyrie kiss. Then again, he wasn’t sure if there was anything to feel guilty about or not. They had been about to die, after all.

Before Steve had departed, he had given Bucky one last hug. “We’ll talk more when we I get back,” he had said with one hand cupped against Bucky’s cheek. “Just know that I don’t regret anything, okay?” Bucky had nodded wordlessly.

Steve had smiled softly. “See you in a week then, jerk. You and Peggy watch out for each other while I’m gone.” And then he’d left before Bucky could ask him anything more. 

“James?” Peggy’s voice startled Bucky from his thoughts. 

“Sure,” he said with a nod. “What do you need help with? Still stuck on twenty three across?”

“I was not  _ stuck _ on twenty three across,” Peggy said with mock indignance. “I knew it was  _ manoeuvre. _ I was merely using the proper spelling. That’s why it didn’t fit.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” Bucky chucked. “I’m more of a numbers guy myself.”

“That’s precisely why I need your help,” Peggy said. “I’m doing some code breaking for work, and this particular code is numerical based. I've figured its origin is some kind of mathematical formula, but I can't quite crack it. A second pair of eyes would help."

“I got clearance for SSR secrets?” Bucky raised one eyebrow. “They’re good with me working on something like this?”

Peggy waved one hand carelessly. “Not as such. To be perfectly honest, I’m not technically supposed to be working on it, either. But it’s a bit urgent, and everyone else in the office has been hopeless so far, so…” She shrugged. 

“Wow,” Bucky said, impressed. “I can see why Steve likes you. Don’t like following orders, do you? Just like him.”

“I would have no issues following orders,” Peggy said dryly, “should I receive an order worth following.” She sighed and looked down at her mug. “As it is, the only orders I get these days are coffee orders.”

“That’s bullshit,” Bucky blurted out. “You’re smarter than anyone else in that office.”

“That’s kind of you to say,” Peggy said, “but you don’t even know them.”

Bucky crossed his arms over his chest. “I know they’re keeping you on the sidelines. That’s enough to know  _ they’re  _ not smart at all.”

Peggy’s warm smile made Bucky’s cheeks flush. He ducked his head as his hand darted out to grab the last rugelach.

**~**

Bucky squinted down at the book in his hands, not reading any of the words. He sighed and shifted on the couch as he stared moodily into the fireplace.

“Steve will be back tomorrow,” Peggy said idly. She was curled up on the other end of the couch with a magazine open on her lap, though Bucky noticed that the page number had not changed in the hour since they’d settled in.

Bucky chewed on his lower lip. He didn’t want to talk about Steve. He had spent enough time turning their parting words over in his head, trying to decipher what Steve had been thinking, what he would want when he returned.

Peggy cleared her throat and continued to talk, seemingly unbothered by his silence. “I’m sure you miss him,” she said. “I certainly do.”

Bucky’s shoulders hunched closer to his ears. “Yeah, well. You and Steve…”

“We care about each other. As do the two of you.”

Bucky gripped his book tighter as Peggy leaned over and rested a hand on his arm. “It’s all right. I know.”

Her soothing tone did nothing to ease Bucky’s discomfort. “What do you know?”

Peggy chuckled and gave his arm a squeeze. "I know enough and I understand. Steve's easy to love." She raised a knowing eyebrow. "Well, no. Nothing with him is  _ easy, _ is it?"

“You got that right,” Bucky huffed. “On both accounts.”

Peggy set her magazine down and shifted closer to Bucky on the couch. “I know what happened. On the Valkyrie, I mean.”

Bucky averted his gaze. 

“It’s alright,” she said. “Steve told me, when you were still unconscious. We weren’t completely sure that you’d wake up, you see, and he didn’t want to… well, I won’t speak for him.”

“I’m sorry,” Bucky whispered. “I-- We thought we were about to die, and Steve… I wouldn’t have, if I’d known,” he said in a rush. “Believe me, I’d have  _ never--” _

“Stop,” Peggy firmly. “There’s nothing to regret. For six months, I thought I’d lost Steve forever. I mourned him. And I mourned you, too.”

Bucky’s jaw dropped. “You did?”

“Of course I did,” Peggy replied. “We worked together for a long time. I know I was never officially a Howling Commando, but--”

“You  _ were,” _ Bucky interrupted. “You were as good as any Howlie, better even. Better’n Falsworth, for sure.”

Peggy laughed. “That’s nice to hear,” she teased, “although I’m not sure how great a compliment it is.” 

“I do miss Steve,” Bucky admitted. “But I won’t… you and Steve, you should be… I can’t…”

“We’ll talk when Steve gets back,” Peggy said. “I’m sure we can figure something out. It’s not all about Steve either, you know.”

Bucky gave Peggy a cautious glance. She looked up at him through her lashes as she leaned in slightly against his arm. The warmth of her expression as her eyes sparkled with a glint of mischief made him break into an easy grin.

He wished for a moment that he still had his pre-Azzano swagger, but he quickly brushed that thought aside. Peggy was too smart to be taken in by an act. That’s why she’d fallen for Steve, after all. She could tell when something was genuine.

Bucky moved his arm upward, slow and careful, and lay it across the back of the couch. Peggy moved closer to lean against him and rested her head on his shoulder. They stared into the fireplace together, their conversation ceased.

There would be plenty of time for talking tomorrow, when Steve returned. For now, Bucky was content to revel in their companionable silence.

**~**

Steve’s homecoming dinner should have been uncomfortable. Steve, Peggy, and Bucky were sat around Peggy’s small kitchen table, their plates laden with food that Bucky was sure one of Stark’s staff had provided, seeing as how none out of the three of them could cook. Steve had kissed each of them on the cheek before they’d sat down.

Bucky was unnerved by how weird their dynamic  _ wasn’t. _ He’d not felt any jealousy when Steve had kissed Peggy; he’d merely felt relieved to see Steve and Peggy look so happy. 

As the meal progressed, they had gotten caught up on the details of Steve’s travels, and laughed at the messes Stark had dragged him into. Steve had beamed when Peggy and Bucky had explained their code breaking success.

“You should join me at the SSR,” Peggy said with her fork pointed at Bucky. “Slip in now before the press catches on that you two rose from the dead. It would be nice to have a competent coworker for a change.”

“Nah,” Bucky shook his head. “Not right now. I’ll wait until I can report to you directly.”

Peggy’s lips pursed in thought while Steve laughed. “I’ve got a feeling that’ll be sooner rather than later,” he said with confidence.

“We shall see.” Peggy set her fork down, and Steve quickly reached out to grab her hand.

Before Bucky could react, his own hand was encased by Steve’s as well. Bucky looked down at their entwined fingers, then back up at Steve.

Steve’s cheeks were pink, but his eyes brightened as they met Bucky’s. “Listen,” he said in a clear, even voice. “I know this feels like some sort of science fiction story, but it’s not. It’s  _ real. _ We could have  _ died, _ Buck, or maybe we’d have been found decades later when it was too late to…”

Steve trailed off and shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. I don’t wanna miss any more chances. You two both mean the world to me, and I’d... “ His blush deepened, but his voice didn’t waver. “I think the three of us could be something special.  _ Together.” _

Bucky wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting. He’d been too caught up in the ease of their banter to worry too much about the possibilities for their future. But even if he’d spent the entire week coming up with guesses, he’d never have figured that Steve would suggest… whatever this was.

He looked over at Peggy, who smiled and held her hand out across the table, palm facing up. “I’m certain that we could work something out. Or at least, I’d like to try.”

Hope flared in Bucky’s chest as he reached out and rested his hand atop Peggy’s. “Yeah,” he said with a grin. “I’d like that, too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Be sure to check out the other awesome submissions for the exchange!


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